5 Real Life Minecraft Construction Games

If you are doing real life Minecraft as I mentioned in my last post there are numerous games you can play to keep the crafters happy and engages. Engages kids means more fun and less work for you as the host. Some of these require a little set up so if you plan of doing them consider where in the party you plan to hold them and what help you have to set them up.

Tallest Tower

Its pretty self explanatory really. Either in teams or individually see which child can build the tallest tower from the box blocks. Kids will have to figure out what is best to go on the bottom and how to stack them when they get above their head. Things like wind and hills also come into play so its a really good problem solving game not just a stacking game.

If you wanted to you could hold heats and then a final. It would take a little more time but most kids at this age do love a little competition. It’s up to you if you gave out prizes but things like the Ninja Monkey key chains or sets of potion bottles are great little prizes.

Things to be aware of if running this game is how you determine how they get the blocks, you don’t want one kid hoarding the blocks so no one else can build. All the blocks could be at one end of the yard and building at the other end. Kids then have to run back and forth with one block at a time to build. Another way to overcome this is to have multiple piles and they can only build from their own pile.

Strongest Structure

In the same vein as the tallest tower see who can make the strongest structure from the blocks. I think this is a better team game than individual players. To measure who has the strongest structure you will need to be able to put heavy weight on it. A washing basket on the top where you can keep adding items like tins of food, heavy balls or sacks is a good way to do it.

At the start set some guidelines like how wide the structure can be, marking the ground so they cant build outside it is good, or how many boxes they can use, if other items are allowed for strengthening purposes and no touching the other teams structure. Set a time limit for how long they have to build so that if rules aren’t followed a penalty can be applied ie you knocked over the other teams structure that is a 3 minute no build penalty.

Maze

The maze is a game that would need to be set up before guests arrive and be used as your first construction game. Depending on how many blocks you have it could just be one layer of boxes. If you have more making it higher would make it more like a maze they may have been in before. When setting the maze ensure you have dead ends and a curly path. You can make it a get to the middle and claim a prize or do a get to the other side style maze. It could be done as a time trial but to make it fair the other guests wouldn’t be able to watch while each person went through

If you have enough blocks you could even set up the same maze twice and have a relay race through it. You would need a lot of boxes for that one!

Try combining the crafting game and the maze into one activity. Have the maze set up and inside have the cut papers scattered to be found. Kids have to find their way to the middle of the maze and the crafting station to find the recipes and craft their items. Another way to play this is to have only special papers in the maze for one particular item. It makes it a little harder to get making the item even more sought after.

Capture the Gold Ingot

Play the classic Capture the Flag game but give it a Minecraft twist with each team building a base out the boxes and having s special gold ingot to protect. The ingot could just be a smaller box spray painted gold. Ensure when going over the rules that one is to not destroy the other base and that the ingot cant be buried beneath the boxes where the base would have to be destroyed to capture it.

Creeper Defence

This one can be a lot of fun but it can also have some very big emotions with it so be aware of that before deciding to play.

There are 2 teams – the Steves and the Creepers. The Steves are trying to build a structure that will keep the Creepers from reaching the other side where The Real Steve is within a time limit. The Real Steve could be a box version, or simply a particular box, ball or any item you have at home. The Creepers are trying to get through and claim The Real Steve before the time runs out.

The Creepers start at one end of the yard while The Steves are at the other. When the timer starts The Steves begin making their structure. Every minute that passes one of The Creepers moves a metre or so forward. When the time keeper yells “EXPLODE” The Creeper who is closest to The Steves puts their arms out and spins once. If they hit any blocks they get knocked to the ground as if The Creeper had exploded. The Creeper then goes back to the start to begin the journey down the yard again. The Steves can repair the building and continue to build as long as they have blocks and time available. If The Creepers make it past or through the structure before the time runs out then they win, if The Steves prevent them from getting through they win.

Play the game twice so each team gets to be Creepers and Steves. It can become a very heated game so just keep on top of the timing and do your best to ensure the rules are adhered to correctly. There are many strategies that can be employed by both sides so there is no guarantee who will win.